translation

noun

trans·la·tion | \ tran(t)s-ˈlā-shən

, tranz-\

Definition of translation

1 : an act, process, or instance of translating: such as

a : a rendering from one language into another also : the product of such a rendering

b : a change to a different substance, form, or appearance : conversion

c(1) : a transformation of coordinates in which the new axes are parallel to the old ones

(2) : uniform motion of a body in a straight line

2 : the process of forming a protein molecule at a ribosomal site of protein synthesis from information contained in messenger RNA — compare transcription sense 3

Other Words from translation Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about translation

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Examples of translation in a Sentence

She is working on a translation of the novel. a new translation of the Iliad There were English translations on the menu. the translation of economic power into political strength

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump said, according to a Wall Street Journal translation of the comments. — Chris Morris, Fortune, "Trump Said to Want to Ban Mercedes-Benz and Other German Luxury Cars," 31 May 2018 Pierre told Die Welt, according to a translation by the Post. — Breanna Edwards, The Root, "Police in Berlin Intend to Press Charges Against Black Customers Who Recorded Alleged Racist Encounter at KFC: Report," 25 May 2018 The plainest aspect of this edition is, curiously, the translation itself. — A.e. Stallings, WSJ, "‘Characters’ Review: You Know the Types," 7 Dec. 2018 Sometimes, what feels at first like unbearable loss is just translation: a new language, the same poem. — Claire Comstock-gay, The Cut, "Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of April 2," 2 Apr. 2018 The interior is almost a literal translation of my wardrobe. — David A. Keeps, House Beautiful, "Decorating a Breezy, Caribbean-Inspired House," 19 June 2014 The key piece of technology that makes this possible is the translation algorithm, which could still be improved a great deal. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Translate Brain Waves Into Speech," 30 Jan. 2019 There's a new, voiced trailer to check out this week, featuring a glimpse of the language-translation mechanic, the timeline, a smoother-looking walk cycle than the previous builds, and more. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: Pillars of Eternity II gets a turn-based mode, Farming Simulator bets big on esports," 25 Jan. 2019 Previous SlideNext Slide The film's original French title, 36.15 Code Pere Noel, refers to an early form of the Internet in France called the Minitel (other translations include Deadly Games, Game Over, and Hide and Freak). — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Dial Code: Santa Claus is our new favorite holiday cult classic," 24 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'translation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near translation

translational research

translative

translatorese

Statistics for translation

Last Updated

21 Mar 2019

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Time Traveler for translation

The first known use of translation was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for translation

translation

noun

English Language Learners Definition of translation

: words that have been changed from one language into a different language : words that have been translated

: the act or process of translating something into a different language

formal : the act or process of changing something from one form to another

See the full definition for translation in the English Language Learners Dictionary

translation

noun

trans·la·tion | \ trans-ˈlā-shən

Kids Definition of translation

: the act, process, or result of changing from one form or language into another

translation

noun

trans·la·tion | \ tran(t)s-ˈlā-shən, tranz-

Medical Definition of translation

: the process of forming a protein molecule at a ribosomal site of protein synthesis from information contained in messenger RNA — compare transcription